Contents

File format

The format is "property=value". value is an integer. You may specify only one option per line. Comments may be added by starting a line with the '#' character.

Here is an example file

# Set stdv mode to PAL (as used in Europe)
sdtv_mode=2
# Force the monitor to HDMI mode so that sound will be sent over HDMI cable
hdmi_drive=2
# Set monitor mode to DMT
hdmi_group=2
# Set monitor resolution to 1024x768 XGA 60Hz (HDMI_DMT_XGA_60)
hdmi_mode=16
# Make display smaller to stop text spilling off the screen
overscan_left=20
overscan_right=12
overscan_top=10
overscan_bottom=10

And here is another example file, containing extended documentation of features: link.

Video mode configuration

Video mode options

sdtv_mode defines the TV standard for composite output (default=0)

sdtv_mode=0 Normal NTSC
sdtv_mode=1 Japanese version of NTSC – no pedestal
sdtv_mode=2 Normal PAL
sdtv_mode=3 Brazilian version of PAL – 525/60 rather than 625/50, different subcarrier

sdtv_aspect defines the aspect ratio for composite output (default=1)

sdtv_aspect=1 4:3
sdtv_aspect=2 14:9
sdtv_aspect=3 16:9

sdtv_disable_colourburst disables colour burst on composite output. The picture will be monochrome, but possibly sharper

sdtv_disable_colourburst=1 colour burst is disabled

hdmi_safe Use "safe mode" settings to try to boot with maximum hdmi compatibility.

framebuffer_depth console framebuffer depth in bits per pixel. Default is 16. 8bit is valid, but default RGB palette makes an unreadable screen. 24bit looks better but has corruption issues as of 20120615. 32bit has no corruption issues but needs framebuffer_ignore_alpha=1 and shows the wrong colors as of 20120615.

framebuffer_ignore_alpha set to 1 to disable alpha channel. Helps with 32bit.

config_hdmi_boost configure the signal strength of the HDMI interface. Default is 0. Try 4 if you have interference issues with hdmi. 7 is the maximum.

Which values are valid for my monitor?

Your HDMI monitor may support only a limited set of formats. To find out which formats are supported, use the following method.

Set the output format to VGA 60Hz (hdmi_group=1 hdmi_mode=1) and boot up the Raspberry Pi

Enter the following command to give a list of CEA supported modes

/opt/vc/bin/tvservice -m CEA

Enter the following command to give a list of DMT supported modes

/opt/vc/bin/tvservice -m DMT

Enter the following command to show your current state

/opt/vc/bin/tvservice -s

Enter the following commands to dump more detailed information from your monitor

/opt/vc/bin/tvservice -d edid.dat/opt/vc/bin/edidparser edid.dat

The edid.dat should also be provided when troubleshooting problems with the default HDMI mode

Boot options

disable_commandline_tags Stops start.elf from filling in ATAGS (memory from 0x100) before launching kernel

cmdline (string) Command line parameters. Can be used instead of cmdline.txt file

kernel (string) Alternative name to use when loading kernel.

kernel_address address to load kernel.img file at

ramfsfile (string) ramfs file to load

ramfsaddr address to load ramfs file at

initramfs (string address) ramfs file and adress to load it at (it's like ramfsfile+ramfsaddr in one option). NOTE: this option uses different syntax than all other options - you should not use "=" character here. Example: